The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 169 The Monkey Becomes King

[The God of Huangshan (Manifesting Holy Righteousness, Courage, Martial Might, and Spiritual Power)]

[Achievements: 64562]

[Yin De: 5250]

Merit: 9463

[Yin Shen: Daytime Wanderer (+)]

[Shrines: Huangshan Temple, Xuzhou City God Temple]

[Hundred Schools: Taiyi Salvation and Protection Scripture (Fourth Heaven) (+), Nine Tribulations Returning to Origin Body (Sixth Heaven), Boundless Ocean Divine Skill (Nineth Heaven), Lightning Thunder Fist (Perfect), Palm Thunder (Perfect), Six Harmonies Spear (Divine Mastery)...]

Five days later, Wang Wen finally finished dealing with the aftermath of the training exercise and had the leisure to brew a pot of good tea and sit down to re-plan his future cultivation path.

According to his previous plan, he wanted to accumulate merit and virtue in preparation for creating a profound technique for physical sainthood that combines the three paths.

However, considering his current situation, he felt that continuing to accumulate merit and good deeds would seriously hinder his spiritual practice.

The reason for this is that his accumulated merits and virtues have begun to move beyond the stage where he still needs to run around to harvest demons and monsters, and are gradually entering the stage where he can achieve official political achievements by governing his "territory".

During the half-year-long training exercise around Huainan Road at the General's Mansion, the amount of merit and virtue he gained by slaying demons and monsters was pitifully small. On the contrary, the merit and virtue he gained from various temples every day gradually accumulated into a large number.

When he finished dealing with Ji Xin's capital city god's domain in Xuzhou at the end of May, his merits and unseen virtues totaled more than 18,000 points.

It's only late September now, and his accumulated merits and good deeds have already reached more than 14,700 points.

In less than four months, he accumulated nearly four thousand merit points, averaging one thousand points per month!

The speed at which he was accumulating merit and good karma far exceeded his initial predictions when planning his path of cultivation.

Moreover, it seems that the difference between merit and virtue is that merit cannot be exchanged for a higher position as a local deity, while even his yin deity realm can be improved through merit.

When he first advanced his Yin Spirit realm, it took him 600 points of Yin Virtue to advance from the Object Manipulation Realm to the Spirit Condensation Realm, and a full 1800 points of Yin Virtue to advance from the Spirit Condensation Realm to the Sun Travel Realm.

Based on this pattern, it takes 5400 points of Yin Virtue to advance from the Day Travel Realm to the Return to Emptiness Realm.

Currently, he only has 5250 Yin Virtue, but there is a "+" next to Yin Spirit that can be improved.

This is enough to show that accumulating merit can also elevate one's Yin spirit realm...

His established standard for the unification of the three paths was to first elevate martial arts, physical body, and spirit to the level of Ghost Immortal before unifying the three paths.

His Yin spirit still has room for improvement.

Besides the fact that he accumulated merit and good karma much faster, there was another reason that prompted him to adjust his spiritual path.

Those are the two main cultivation techniques, "Nine Tribulations Returning to Origin Body" and "Boundless Ocean Divine Art," which will require more and more merit points in the future!

Based on the calculation that it took 100,800 merit points to go from the fifth to the sixth level of the Nine Tribulations Return to Origin Body, it would take a total of more than 9 million merit points to go from the sixth to the ninth level of the Great Perfection!

This price was for before he perfected the "Lightning Thunder Fist." Who knows if the price will go up again after the "Lightning Thunder Fist" elevated the entire "Nine Tribulations Return to Origin Body"...

As for the "Boundless Ocean Divine Skill," which has already reached the ninth level, he currently does not know how many more levels there will be.

However, it takes more than 1.7 million merit points to advance from the ninth to the tenth level of this divine skill.

Each subsequent level multiplies the merit points fivefold. The eleventh level has over seven million merit points, the twelfth level has over thirty-five million merit points, and the thirteenth level has one hundred and seventy-five million merit points!
Faced with these astronomical figures that once made his scalp tingle, Wang Wen is now able to maintain a calm attitude.

After all, the speed at which he earns merit points is now vastly different from before. Not only does he receive a daily "salary" based on his political achievements, but he also shares the profits 30/70 with all the ghosts, gods, and underworld messengers under his command. His daily merit point earnings are now approaching the three thousand mark...

But no matter how calm he was, he couldn't change the fact that he would have to spend several years, or even more than a decade, to bring his two main cultivation techniques to the Great Perfection!
Of course, this is actually quite normal.

After all, cultivation knows no time, and it is common to make little progress even after decades. Wang Wen's ability to reap rewards for his efforts is already incredibly fortunate!
Is the Mountain God's Decree cheating?
Whether it was the previous underworld messenger order, the city god order, or the current mountain god order, they have never been some incredible or unreasonable cheat code.

It is a legitimate official token of the Underworld. Before the Underworld left this world, all officials of the Underworld had one. They could also improve their realm, magic and official rank by consuming merit points and Yin virtue.

Imagine, could an ordinary underworld official rise to the ranks of the underworld gods in just a few years with the help of an underworld official's token?
Is that possible?

The reason Wang Wen was able to use it like a cheat code was simply because he took advantage of the situation where "there's no tiger in the mountain, so the monkey becomes king," and gradually built up a snowballing advantage by getting ahead step by step...

This is why Wang Wen remains calm even when faced with the astronomical number of merit points from these two cultivation techniques.

Wang Wen has already gained a huge advantage. If he continues to shirk responsibility, wouldn't that be ungrateful?
This is also why he needs to adjust his cultivation plan, since it may take him more than ten years to improve these two techniques to perfection.

What's the point of him holding onto his merits and good deeds for so long without spending them?
It would be better to convert what can be converted into hard power into hard power as soon as possible, and what can be converted into investment into investment!
After all, the more you spend, the more you earn!

Now, the three consecrated mountain temples plus the general's mansion can provide him with nearly three thousand merit points and thirty merit and virtue points every day.

If he could spread mountain god temples and general's mansions throughout every prefecture, county, and village in the Great Zhou Dynasty...

Wouldn't that cause it to spiral 360 degrees and ascend to heaven on the spot?
'It's decided then and there!'

After a brief period of consideration, Wang Wen made a decisive decision to change his cultivation path once again.

He had lost count of how many times he had adjusted his cultivation path.

But that's not important!
After all, planning is like the outline of a novel; from the moment it is created, its only purpose is to be revised.

As long as the outcome remains the same, all the intermediate plans can be revised...

To date, Wang Wen's planned path of cultivation still aims for the unification of the three paths and the attainment of physical sainthood!
Having made up his mind, Wang Wen immediately prepared to raise his Yin Spirit realm directly in the main hall.

Just then, Xu Wu slowly walked in, holding a document above his head, and said, "Reporting to the General, the compensation for the wounded and injured soldiers has been completed. Please take a look!"

Wang Wen put down his teacup, reached out and beckoned, and the document in Xu Wu's hand flew into the air and landed on the table in the hall.

He opened the document, glancing at it as he asked softly, "Has the selection process for vacancies in the army begun?"

Xu Wu nodded: "The official document has already been sent to the supervisory offices of each prefecture. The open selection will be held on the fifteenth of next month outside the city's southern camp."

The Demon-Slaying General's Mansion had long since stopped recruiting soldiers from outside, but the supervisory offices of various mansions were still openly recruiting "informants." These informants were not officially employed and their work mainly involved reconnaissance, but the standards for selection and training were almost identical to those of the General's Mansion.

According to Wang Wen's plan, in the future, the vacancies in the General's Office would be filled by selecting soldiers directly from the supervisory offices of various prefectures. This would not only provide a promotion channel for those temporary workers without official positions, but also reduce the recruitment pressure on the General's Office, and strengthen the connection between the General's Office and the supervisory offices of various prefectures...

Three birds with one stone!
Wang Wen hummed in agreement and carefully read the document.

Xu Wu stood below the hall, his eyes lowered, hesitating for a long time before finally speaking: "General, the grain and salary allocated by the Grain Transport Office for this year were counted last night."

Wang Wen looked up at him: "How much less?"

Xu Wu didn't say anything, but pinched his index and middle fingers together with his thumb and gestured the number "seven" to him.

Wang Wen, without changing his expression, lightly tapped the table with his finger. After pondering for a few moments, he asked softly, "Which link in the chain has been cutting our rations?"

Xu Wu replied, "I only know that it's not our Yangzhou part." The provisions and pay of the General of the Demon Suppression in Huainan are calculated by the Ministry of Revenue and the Demon Suppression Headquarters, and then distributed to the Huainan Circuit Transport Commissioner, also known as the "Huainan Transport Commissioner". The Huainan Circuit Transport Commissioner then allocates them to the Yangzhou Transport Commissioner, who then delivers them to the Southern Camp of the General of the Demon Suppression.

In the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was common practice for large-scale transportation of money and grain to pass through a layer of skimming. In particular, the grain and salary allocated from the capital to the local army was a huge cake for officials to make a fortune by working together!
This is the usual practice in officialdom; even if the emperor himself commands the troops, it is the usual practice to turn a blind eye.

But there are some tricks to it.

Generally speaking, the stronger a local general's background in officialdom, the less rations and pay they lose; the more enemies a local general makes in officialdom, the more rations and pay they lose.

And 70%... fall into the category of being raised by a stepmother who neither the maternal grandmother nor the paternal uncle.

It far exceeded the average amount deducted from local troops, and was treated the same as the local troops in remote areas.

However, among those local militia, which numbered 2,500, the fact that they could muster 500 able-bodied men was due to the responsible nature of the local militia commander.

Wang Wen's Demon-Slaying General's Mansion is fully staffed, and they are all engaged in genuine high-risk, high-reward businesses!

Three-tenths of the grain and salary?

If Wang Wen dares to hand over these copper coins to the Demon-Suppressing Guards of the General's Mansion, they'll dare to throw them in his face!

Wang Wen frowned and pondered for a moment, then slowly closed the document in his hand: "Someone come here!"

The demon-suppressing guards on duty outside the gate quickly entered and saluted with their hands clasped.

Wang Wen: "Summon the camp commander Xie Zhi... Never mind, you may leave!"

He waved his hand to dismiss the demon-suppressing guards below the hall.

Xu Wu watched the town's demon guards leave: "Close the door, and no one is allowed to approach within three zhang of the main hall!"

"Kacha."

The door closed gently, leaving only Wang Wen and Xu Wu in the hall.

Xu Wu then said with a grim expression, "Brother, we must be careful about this matter."

He knew Wang Wen's temperament and had been hesitant to report the matter to Wang Wen.

But 70%... is really far too low.

He couldn't possibly raise such a large sum quietly to make up for it.

Wang Wenfeng casually picked up his teacup, took a sip, then waved to Xu Wu, gesturing for him to sit down, and said, "You didn't tell your uncle about this, did you?"

Xu Wu shook his head: "I certainly won't speak carelessly unless you agree."

Wang Wen put down his teacup and called out softly, "Where is Ma Feng?"

A ray of golden light pierced through the wall and transformed into a golden-armored general, who clasped his hands and said, "Your subordinate is here!"

Wang Wen said calmly, "Send a team of underworld officials to the Huainan Circuit Commissioner's Office in Chuzhou immediately to thoroughly investigate whether Gu Yue, the Commissioner of the Huainan Circuit, and his entire household have colluded with demons and monsters. If necessary, the Hongze Lake Water Palace can be summoned to assist in the investigation... I need evidence!"

Without hesitation, Ma Feng crossed his arms and said, "This subordinate obeys the order!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a golden ray of light and shot through the wall.

After Ma Feng left, Xu Wu said in a serious voice, "Brother, think twice before you act. Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back!"

Wang Wen smiled and said softly, "They should be the ones who are afraid, not me, but they were the ones who made the first move, not me!"

Xu Wu racked his brains for a long time, but still said in a low voice, "Brother, why don't we ask the master to step in and mediate? It would be a way to fulfill the bond between us who are from the Canal Gang!"

"First!"

Wang Wen raised a finger: "Those bastards don't represent the canal gang. They have done us no favors, and we don't owe them anything."

"Secondly, we don't have anything of our own. Even if we ask your grandpa to swallow his pride and mediate, and this time he actually succeeds... what about next time?"

“If there’s one, there will definitely be two. This time it’s rations, but who knows what it will be next time? Do we have to ask your uncle to swallow his pride and mediate every time? Would we be begging on our knees then? Do they deserve it?”

"Third, they've already abandoned all sense of loyalty and treachery, stabbing us in the back. Why should we lower ourselves to uphold the loyalty and righteousness of the entire Canal Gang?"

"Why should I? Where's your brain?"

Xu Wu remained silent for a long while before letting out a silent sigh.

This matter is indeed very thorny. Hitting their General's Mansion is like hitting a snake on its vital spot.

Wang Wen came from the Grand Canal Gang.

The development of his Demon-Slaying General's Mansion to this day is inseparable from the help of the Canal Gang.

The Transport Commissioner of Huainan Circuit was not only one of the major owners of the Grand Canal Gang, but also one of the most powerful figures in the officialdom that the Grand Canal Gang had.

If he were to take the matter of the grain rations and wages and cause a huge scene at the grain transport office...

Regardless of the outcome, he and his father Huang Xingde are definitely out of luck within the Grand Canal Gang.

Wang Wen didn't care at all; he would repay the debt to the Canal Gang in full!

Huang Xingde had spent most of his life in the Grand Canal Gang, and his foundation and connections were all within the gang. If he were to be expelled from the gang because of him... Wang Wenshuo really felt a little sorry for him.

But Wang Wen couldn't swallow his anger and couldn't just let the matter drop.

He and his brothers risked their lives, braving wind and rain, and finally managed to establish the current momentum and situation of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion. When officials of all ranks in Huainan mentioned the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, they had to tremble with respect.

But if this precedent is set, who will still treat the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion with respect in the future?
Without a doubt, this was a test by those scoundrels against Wang Wen!
Especially that Prince Qi!
Huang Xingde had just rejected that bastard not long ago, and then the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion started making things difficult for him.

If you say this has nothing to do with that bastard, Wang Wen would never believe it, even if you beat him to death.

So if he swallows this insult, who knows what other underhanded tricks are waiting for him later.

He certainly couldn't just stand by and watch these bastards ruin his path...

Since a complete breakdown in relations is inevitable sooner or later, it's better to just chop off their paws from the start!

These bastards aren't telling him the unspoken rules?
Then Wang Wen will explain the rules to them!

He has to teach these bastards a lesson.

That's Wang Wen. He's not fierce or evil because he holds the position of General Who Subdues Demons in Huainan.

It was because Wang Wen was fierce and wicked enough that he was able to sit in the position of Demon-Slaying General!
If this principle isn't understood, who knows how many more ignorant scoundrels will have the audacity to use Wang Wen as a pawn in the future...

He still needs to cultivate immortality; he doesn't have time to waste playing house with these scoundrels!
(End of this chapter)